


The Eye of the Yiga

by ghostgirl19



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Link was raised by the Yiga Clan, Pre-Calamity, Romance, Yiga Clan!Link, Yiga!Link, and he's their best soldier, but can he do it?, his newest target? Princess Zelda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25013878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostgirl19/pseuds/ghostgirl19
Summary: Rumors are flying higher than ever of Calamity Ganon's return. Time is running out to kill the Princess born with the blood of the Goddess, who is fated to seal him away. The perfect opportunity seems to fall right into their hands, as the Yiga Clan find out that she'll be visiting Gerudo Town to recruit Chief Urbosa to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Naboris.They entrust their most skilled assassin with the job. Link has never failed a mission, and he won't start now.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	The Eye of the Yiga

King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule appeared to be taking his new position of authority very seriously.

Since his marriage to Queen Zelda a month prior, he has made several changes to the inner workings of the kingdom, with the most notable occurring within his army.

With each passing day, more and more men were recruited and sent to the Military Training Camp just northeast of Hyrule Castle. From there, they would train to become the protectors of the kingdom before moving on to put that training to use at one of the garrisons scattered throughout the land. If a few proved themselves particularly remarkable, they would be stationed at the impervious Akkala Citadel.

But if they were truly exceptional, they would be given a place in the Imperial Guard. There, they would work closely with the King and Queen, ready to protect them with their lives should the need arise.

With the amount of hastily added security, one might think that King Rhoam was afraid of an assassination happening.

And his fears would be justified.

She had been watching and waiting for two weeks. She knew all the routines of the castle, including all the guards’ patrol routes and when the Queen finally slept for the night. Luckily, she didn’t spend many nights in her new husband’s chambers, so the chances of her being in her own room tonight were high.

An assassination would be all too easy.

“May Demise guide me.”

With her fists pressed on top of each other, she concentrated on the incantation and disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

* * *

As the most skilled assassin of the Yiga Clan, it was only natural that she would be chosen to kill Queen Zelda. She held a flawless record; her fighting was precise and her focus unbreakable. She was a sight to be feared with her vicious sickle or demon carver in hand.

Master Kohga acknowledged her talent by assigning her this mission. There was no one else he trusted with this vital task.

After all, the rumors of Calamity Ganon finally rising again after 10,000 years meant they had to act. The Yiga had to ensure that Ganon’s return would be successful, which would entail the disposing of the Hero destined to defeat him along with the Princess born with the blood of the Goddess who was fated to seal him away.

As of yet, there were no men walking around with the Master Sword claiming to be the legendary Hero. So that’s one half of the job they didn’t have to worry about. However, there was an active Queen with the blood of the goddess, with powers that were said to be of the strongest in years. It was very likely she could be the one to seal Ganon.

Obviously, Queen Zelda needed to be killed before that could happen.

Disguising herself as one of the castle maids was mere child’s play by this point in her life. She had already memorized the maid’s face and uniform down to the last stitch the week before. She was a young, often overlooked brunette, but it was she who was responsible for delivering the Queen’s evening tea.

Slipping into the Queen’s chambers in the guise of being summoned by Her Majesty would be simple. Not that there was anything truly difficult about infiltrating the castle and completing her mission thus far. None of the guards cared to stop and inquire of who she was or what purpose she had for walking the halls so late at night. They barely even spared her a passing glance.

 _Some Royal Guard you recruited here, Your Majesty_.

It was laughable of how easy this was. Although, she had to admit that she was a bit disappointed with that. She believed that there should always be a thrill when making a kill, and killing the Queen should’ve been one of the most exhilarating missions in the history of the Yiga Clan!

Oh well. She may have been disappointed with how this mission was playing out, but she would rather carry out an easy assassination than risk not completing one at all. Still, it would’ve been nice to have had a challenge of some sort.

Alas, it appeared she wouldn’t get one. She wasn’t noticed at all on her way to the Queen’s room. That is, until the only things standing in the way of Ganon’s freedom were an oak door and the stony royal guardsman standing in front of it.

“Good evening, sir,” she said, briefly bowing her head. “Her Majesty has summoned me. May I be let in?”

This is it. All her hard work came down to this moment. Her heart was beginning to pound from the anticipation of what would prove to be a historic kill. Her name would be immortalized in the Yiga Clan; she would be known as the woman who finally put an end to Hylia’s bloodline. Perhaps Ganon would personally thank her himself.

It took all her concentration to keep the disguise up.

The guard’s eyes narrowed. Come to think of it, he looked rather young to be in the Imperial Guard. Why, he couldn’t have been much older than herself. He must have been one of King Rhoam’s recent recruits.

His dark blonde hair was swept under his cap, allowing her to see perhaps the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen on a person. His lips were pressed tightly together, his features hardened from dedication to his duty.

He was just a bit taller than her, enough that caused her to slightly raise her head to meet his steely gaze. The uniform he wore was rather impressive, a mixture of blue and red with gold detailing. The white boots were a stark contrast to the warm colors, but strangely they went perfectly. Neat and pressed, not a wrinkle was to be seen.

She always did like a man in uniform. It was unfortunate that such a handsome man was working under King Rhoam. Otherwise…

No. She had to dedicate her focus to the mission. The fate of Ganon rested with her!

As she waited, the guard failed to utter a response of any kind. He just kept staring down at her, but as to what he was thinking she couldn’t be certain. Those eyes of his betrayed nothing.

_Ah, so he’s one of those silent types._

Then perhaps she could just let herself in? Hmph, it was rather rude of him not to open the door for a lady. But taking the Queen’s life would be more than worth the grievance.

However, as she moved for the door, he stepped in her path and blocked her way.

Now she was confused. What was this guard’s problem? She already stated her purpose for being here; why wouldn’t he let her in?

“Kira,” he murmured in a soft, yet masculine voice. It was strangely pleasant to her ears despite being momentarily startled by the abrupt break in his silence.

Realizing that he was addressing her, she straightened and put on what she hoped was ‘Kira’s’ prettiest smile.

“Yes, sir?” she asked, wide-eyed and innocent and not at all looking like a Yiga in disguise.

“I hadn’t known you returned,” he murmured. Strangely, his entire expression remained somber as he talked, not a hint of a smile or any other emotion threatening to break through. Even his voice was just that: a voice, devoid of any feeling of any sort.

Although, what did he mean by ‘returned’? She didn’t notice Kira leaving. Then again, she only watched the castle during the evening and nighttime. The maid could’ve left and come back in the daytime all without her knowing it.

She internally cursed herself for her oversight. But no matter. Being a master of disguises for this long meant becoming accustomed to lying and perfecting the skill. Fortunately for her, she had years of experience under her belt.

“Why yes, I’ve come back just this afternoon,” she replied smoothly. “Now, if you will please excuse me, Her Majesty is waiting for me.”

But when she made to open the door, he again blocked her path.

She shrank back, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes. Now she was getting annoyed. If he cared about the change in her temperament, he didn’t make any indication of it.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you back for several days, what with your mother being so ill,” the guard continued.

The annoyance vanished from her face. For the first time since starting her mission, she began to feel uneasy. Was he suspicious or simply making conversation? She doubted the latter option; this man didn’t strike her as the type to talk without purpose.

Clearing her throat, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin before plastering on a wide smile. Her act wasn’t through yet, she could still get out of this! It had been a long time since she was caught in a lie. This guard may have been a little sharper than the others, but she would get past him all the same.

“Oh yes, my mother. It was a rather stubborn fever, but with my help and the healer’s, we were able to bring it down. When I left her this afternoon, she was better in both body and spirit. I thank you for your concern, sir. Now-”

She didn’t get a chance to finish. In a swift movement, the guard pinned her to the wall with his sword at her neck. Her head roughly bounced off the wall, the hit producing a sharp pain that had her clenching her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. She barely understood what happened until the guard began to speak.

“Kira’s mother died when she was five,” he hissed, edging the blade closer to her throat. Even through her vision readjusting, she could make out the bright blue of his eyes that had once reminded her of the sky, but were now those of a raging ocean that her words couldn’t hope to quell.

“She left this morning to care for her father and said she wouldn’t be back for a week.”

She bit her lip as she felt the sword press harder against her neck. With just a flick of his wrist, he could slice her throat and watch her bleed to death. And judging from the infuriated expression he bore; he wouldn’t mind doing just that.

“I know why you’re here. I won’t let you harm our queen, dirty Yiga!”

So, he figured it out, did he? It seemed this guard wasn’t as dumb as the rest of his comrades.

She smirked. “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for, handsome.”

Her smirk shifted to a simpering grin as she saw his eyes briefly widen. And it may have been a play of the shadows, but she could’ve sworn that she saw a hint of rosiness grow on his cheeks.

So, the young guard wasn’t used to flattery? How adorable. Too bad she’d have to kill him. A shame really, perhaps things could’ve been different if he wasn’t one of Rhoam’s recruits.

“You may have seen through my disguise, which is mostly my fault for not getting my story right,” she admitted.

Despite knowing she was one of the best Yiga members, she knew she wasn’t perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Some less so than others, but it still happened on occasion and she wasn’t one to hide it.

“However, you failed in one aspect, and it’s one I’d say is the most important when confronting a Yiga.”

His eyebrows furrowed, not understanding.

Alas, she was his enemy, not his teacher. As such, she couldn’t waste time answering questions. Before he could rectify his mistake, she disappeared from his hold in a cloud of smoke, leaving the handsome guard stumbling back in bewilderment.

His commanding officer had never trained him for this kind of situation. Normal people didn’t just vanish in a cloud of smoke when you had them at your mercy. Yes, all the soldiers had been warned about the ruthless Yiga Clan, but not many knew what their abilities were outside of rumors, since most who had seen one didn’t live to tell the tale.

And now he had witnessed not only one, but two of their skills: the masterful art of disguise and teleportation. But unlike most of the others before him who had faced off against a Yiga, he wouldn’t be getting himself killed. He couldn’t fail; he was the only one standing between this bloodthirsty assassin and his queen. Death was not an option.

The sound of a pair of feet touching the ground from behind prompted him to spin around, where he was subsequently greeted with the sight of someone who looked nothing like Kira, nor any Hylian in general.

The Yiga was now clad in a tightly fitted red and black outfit which—ahem—she wore v _ery_ well. He forced his eyes to survey the rest of her body, from the black belt around her waist to the sharp red spikes protruding from the armor on her ankles.

But what really drew his attention was the small yet deadly vicious sickle she gripped in her gloved hand. One swipe of that would kill him if it hit the right place.

But perhaps what was most chilling of all was the mask obscuring her face. He’d seen the Sheikah eye many times; he’d interacted with plenty of Sheikah during his experience as a knight and had even visited Kakariko Village from time to time. Never did he think the symbol could be as unsettling as it was now: painted a bloody red and upside-down.

The Yiga crouched into a ready position, arms wide and sickle poised to strike.

“You always secure their hands,” she finished, and although he may not have seen it, he knew she was smiling when she rushed at him to attack.

He barely managed to dodge the swipe of her curved blade. Now he could understand why multiple men had perished against them. It would take only but a single moment for a Yiga to take advantage of their target’s surprise to strike them down. If he took his eyes off her just once, it could prove fatal.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword and prepared to make a counterattack. He ran forward, positioning his sword so that the tip would bury itself deep in her abdomen with no hope of survival.

Despite being the best swordsman in the Imperial Guard, he was humble enough to admit when he may be outmatched. He didn’t want to take any chances against a Yiga; he knew he had to end this as quickly as possible. Who knows how many other tricks she had up her sleeve?

He found himself planting his heels in the floor and halting in his steps moments later when, in a move that both mystified and terrified him, she raised her arm and directed it in a counterclockwise motion. Around her appeared a reddish-orange circle with glowing symbols he didn’t even want to attempt to decipher. She pressed her fists together, and in a flash of red smoke she was gone.

He tensed, waiting for the ensuing attack.

All was quiet. He couldn’t hear any movement coming from the Queen’s room, something that gave him pause. She must be an extremely heavy sleeper to not have woken up with all the noise they were undoubtedly making.

To his growing unease, he couldn’t hear the telltale sounds of heavy armored footfalls either, grimly reminding him that he was entirely on his own for this fight.

But just because he was alone didn’t mean he would give up. Far from it. He, along with every other royal guardsman, took an oath to protect the Queen with their life. He wouldn’t turn tail and run at the first hint of trouble.

He gripped the hilt of his sword in both hands, keeping it steady and pointed in front of him, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. He ignored the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, only focusing on drawing forth the courage needed to defeat such a skilled enemy.

After all, a sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.

For all his inspecting of the area around him, desperately searching for any sign of the vanished Yiga, he wished he didn’t miss perhaps one of the most obvious places to look.

Up.

Which is exactly where she dropped from and subsequently landed on his chest, forcing all the air out of his lungs in a pained wheeze.

She made quick work of knocking his sword away and pinning his wrists together above his head, keeping ahold of them there with her hand and using the other to press her vicious sickle against his throat.

He had to admit, he was surprised by how much strength she wielded. Then again, he supposed anyone would have that kind of strength if they’ve been trained to be an assassin from birth.

“Hmm, with you on your back all winded and flushed like this, you make for quite a scene, handsome,” she said, her voice a velvety purr that absolutely _did not_ affect him. Nope, not at all. Not for a savage Yiga.

He mentally sent his thanks to Hylia that she was sitting on his chest and nowhere near the lower half of his body.

Luckily, or unluckily, all thoughts of denial about _that_ were pushed out the window as she abruptly pressed her blade harder against his throat. He hissed between clenched teeth, his head falling back to gain whatever little distance away from the sickle he could get. At this, she merely tsk’ed, almost in pity, and she moved the blade right back to its place against his throat.

He shut his eyes.

How? How did it come to this? He was the most accomplished swordsman in the kingdom, some have even called him a prodigy. He had bested men his own age and older alike, no matter their rank.

He couldn’t believe he lost, and so quickly. Now, because of him, Hyrule will lose its queen, and the bloodline of the Goddess will be extinguished. Heroes had risen to defend Hyrule from evil time and time again. No matter what was thrown at them, they always saved the kingdom and its Goddess-descendant.

Now here he was, bested by a renegade Sheikah. He had no right to ever compare himself in any format to the heroes of old.

The Yiga loomed closer above his head.

“You may be the most handsome man I’ve ever been blessed to lay eyes upon, and while you do wear that uniform _very_ nicely, I’m afraid I must kill you. It’s nothing personal, just that you’re standing in the way of my mission. I would’ve done this to any other guard who stood by her door; you just happened to be the unlucky one tonight.”

She paused, tilting her head to the side in consideration.

“Or lucky, in my case. I don’t think any of those other guards could compare to you.”

She reached out a gloved finger. His wide eyes tracked its movement as she traced his jawline, a movement so gentle compared to her earlier harsh actions during their brief fight.

“Such a shame I have to kill you,” she lamented, silky smooth with an overly dramatic sigh. “It’s too bad you’re one of Rhoam’s men. If you were a Yiga, things could’ve been so much different.”

“I’d never be a Yiga!” he snarled, his temper sparking. He pushed relentlessly against her hold on his wrists, twisting his body around to knock her off, but to no avail. Despite how small and slim she was, she somehow possessed the strength of 20 men, maybe more. Must be Yiga magic of some sort.

He gave up his struggles with a tired exhale and he leaned back again, but the flames ignited in his blue eyes remained. “I’d rather die defending the royal family than be a traitor!”

“And die you shall,” she said, sounding not at all bothered by his insults nor by his attempt to escape her hold. “Any last words?”

He stilled. The space between his golden brows creased as he contemplated it.

She was more than happy to wait. She’d take full advantage of being able to look into those enchanting eyes as long as she could while they were still brightened with life.

Finally, he peered up at her, eerily close to where her eyes were beneath the mask.

“I wish to see the face of my killer.”

Her head slightly pulled back. He may not be able to see her face, but he knew that she was taken aback by his request.

“What?” she whispered.

For the first time that night, she sounded unsure of herself. Confused, even. She was probably expecting one last plead for mercy, only to dismiss him with a quick wave of her sickle. It was likely what she heard during all the times she took someone’s life. Part of her probably relished that moment when a person was so desperate for their life that they began to beg or bargain or cry.

Well, he wouldn’t give it to her. All he wanted to look his killer in the eyes when she’d finish him off. And so, he repeated his request. His tone was final and solemn, not containing a hint of sorrow or desperation. He knew he was going to die, why let her enjoy it?

Suddenly, all he could register was the blood red, upside down sign of the Sheikah eye. Time seemed to slow down, until all he could focus on was that cursed eye. How long had he been staring at it? How long had she been doing the same in return, thinking over his last words?

The eye loomed closer. She pressed forward until the tip of his nose was almost touching the mask. Was this it? Was she going to refuse his request and just slit his throat without a word? Perhaps she merely desired to see the life slowly seep from his eyes up close.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, her hand reached up to the back of her head. The wooden mask abruptly fell to the ground, the black tuft of hair coming along with it.

But none of that registered to him, because all at once, all he could see were a pair of sparkling red eyes peering into his blue ones.

His breath caught in his throat.

Hair white as snow cascaded around her heart-shaped face. Her pink, full lips were slightly parted as she gazed down at him, seemingly as captivated as he was. Her cheeks were glowing pink, her blush enhanced by the light of the moon seeping through the glass window.

She was young, perhaps just a year or two younger than he was.

For a woman who appeared so innocent and delicate, it was rather hard to believe that just beneath the surface of that fair façade, lay a sinister danger. Those pretty lips would twist into the cruelest smirk as she would slice her vicious sickle across the neck of her prey. Those beautiful, crimson eyes would gleam as they’d watch the blood, of which color matched those eyes, pour from the wound and drip onto the floor.

He should have been terrified. Instead he wanted to get closer to her.

Transfixed in her scarlet stare, he was vaguely aware that his breath was mingling with hers. When had they grown closer together? Did he move first, or had she?

It didn’t matter, he decided as he closed his eyes. Hell, he was going to die anyway. Why not go out with one of life’s last pleasures?

His mouth had merely hovered over her own when heavy footsteps reached his ears, followed by the sound of armor clanking in step.

He froze. She, on the other hand, grabbed her mask from the ground and sprang away from him as if he burned her. He could see the panic in her eyes as she hastily reapplied the mask before looking from him, to the Queen’s door, then over his shoulder.

The sound of clanking armor was growing closer.

“We’ll have to continue this later,” she said, her voice a sultry purr despite how terrified she appeared mere seconds earlier.

“For now,” she spoke, “let’s keep this between us, handsome.”

She raised a finger to her mask, likely the area that concealed her mouth, before she vanished in a cloud of red smoke.

He was still lying prone on the ground when the other guard on duty walked up to him.

“Sleeping on the job? Never pegged ya for that kind of guy,” he chuckled. “And here I thought you were some kind of model soldier.”

The ‘model soldier’ himself slowly sat up, disbelieving of all that had happened. The Yiga in disguise, that same Yiga who called him handsome, flirted with him, practically straddled him, almost _kissed_ him, but had no qualms against fighting him. Speaking of which…

“You…didn’t you hear any of that?”

“Any of what?” his companion asks, raising an eyebrow. “It’s completely silent in here, save for our king’s snoring,” he snorted. “Did you have a dream or something?”

A dream. It was like a dream. All that had happened only seemed possible in dreams. But as much as he wanted to dismiss it all as nothing but the delusions from a tired mind, he couldn’t. He knew it was real, no matter how much he wished it otherwise.

“Or something,” he murmured.

* * *

Hanashi, to her dismay, was waiting to pounce on her as soon as she arrived to her bedroom door. After the harsh reprimanding from Master Kohga, who _did not_ take failed missions well, she was not in the mood to deal with her creepy, arrogant, pompous admirer.

“So, how was it? How satisfying was killing the last of the Goddess’s bloodline?”

She sighed, gritting her teeth to suppress a snarl. The fucker had to have known that she failed; he was always on her ass, creeping around corners and eavesdropping. She brought her frustrations with Hanashi up to Master Kohga several times, yet each time he dismissed her anger, stating that Hanashi was a valuable member of the Yiga and they couldn’t afford to lose him.

Besides, he was young and attractive enough. He was tall, strong, had brilliant snowy hair, possessed sharp, red eyes, and was a skilled combatant. Most of the other women vied for his attention; she should be _grateful_ that she held his.

Most times she barely refrained from slicing his throat open.

“I failed,” she simply said, taking out her key and moving to unlock her door. The faster she could get inside, the faster she could get away from this bastard.

“You? Failed?” he gasped and placed a hand over his heart, clearly faking his shock. It pissed her off all the more. “Unmei, how could you of all people fail? You’re our best!”

“I know, which is why I’m going to kill her next time,” she grumbled. The stupid key was stuck again, refusing to budge. She really needed to remember to get someone to fix her doorknob one of these days...

She glanced behind her, to see Hanashi grinning back.

…to prevent shit like this.

“You know, I could always go with you. We’d make a great team,” he said, almost in a non-slimy way, until he lowered his voice. “In more ways than one.”

She was too pissed off to gag. Whirling around, she pointed a finger in front of his nose. Luckily for him, he had the decency to take a step back.

“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed. “This is _my_ mission, and I will not tolerate your nasty ass anywhere near me while I complete it. Got it?”

Instead of the fearful response she was aiming for, or an agreement of some kind, he simply smirked.

“Why are you fighting this so much? You know you want me.”

She scoffed, crossing her arms. “Maybe in that backward-ass world from that one Hero legend.”

Hanashi chuckled, unbothered by her repeated rejections. “You’ll see that we’re meant to be one day. I’m patient.”

She didn’t have time to react as he suddenly snagged her around the waist and pressed his lips to her ear.

“But not that patient, Unmei.”

Her eyes alit with a new rage and she abruptly shoved him off her. A growl rumbled in her throat, her teeth bared in a fierce snarl as she grabbed her vicious sickle and pressed the tip over his jugular. She killed enough to know exactly where it is.

“Touch me again and I’ll be licking your blood off my blade.”

Hanashi grinned but backed away from her.

“That’s not the only thing you’ll be licking, sweetheart.”

Her fierce swipe was met with air, nothing but air and smoke.

“Asshole,” she muttered, turning to wrestle with her key and open her door again.

Sometimes she hated their power of teleportation.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Yiga!Link fic! I've been working on this idea for a few months now. I couldn't find any Zelink fics with Link as a Yiga, so I decided to make one myself :) I hope you enjoy!
> 
> The prologue will last for one more part before we get to Link ;)


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